I'm all for slow fashion BUT

[hippospot]

Maybe it's an end-of-winter thing but I'm so TIRED of my clothes. They are mostly decent quality, 5+ years old, bought to last, yada yada but I'm so BORED of them and I feel like I'm looking pretty dated too. I'm 48 now and what suited me at 40 looks so wrong now.

Am seriously considering a John Lewis personal stylist session to get out of my rut. But buying a whole bunch of new stuff doesn't sit well for environmental reasons.

Spent a day in London recently and did some serious people watching. The women I thought looked good had coats etc in cuts I just don't own.

Any tips?

I don't think slow fashion has to mean you have to keep if forever until it dies. If you're just not wearing something you can sell or donate it for someone else to enjoy. No point it sitting in your wardrobe not being worn if you don't like it. But its just finding that healthy balance and not buying things week in week out.

The shops are starting to stock spring stuff so winter colours can look dreary this time of year.

You could book the stylist as you aren't obliged to buy anything.

I sympathise and I'm afraid whenever I hear anyone saying 'I'm 40 now and I know what suits me' I always think to myself, 'You have no idea what's coming'. I remember feeling furious at all those fashion editors who preached investment dressing. (And wait till you hit 60+ )

I'm no angel and I still enjoy a bit of sneaky fast fashion, but I buy as much as I can second hand (pre pandemic it was around 70% but I've not done as well recently) and I've gone back to making my own clothes. No easy answers though - as previous poster says, you have to find a balance that feels ok for you.

I've had a bumper time charity shopping recently. Latest bargain was a Hardy Amies velvet 2-piece. Fits perfectly and it was £5. It is a bit retro.

You need to know what suits you and what doesn't.

If you go shopping with someone else, you need someone honest and with an eye for what suits you. That's what the stylist will do

I've been updating my wardrobe via Vinted, easier and cheaper than ebay and I've found some amazing bargains! I'm trying to avoid fast fashion and this along with charity shopping keeps my wardrobe fresh.

Chuckling at what floisme has written. So true! Hitting mid 40s with what I thought was an excellent wardrobe, I have this intense desire to go much more edgy, more male silhouettes, more avant-garde. Luckily, what I like is not available in fast fashion, so, as posters above, I am doing a combination of second hand, vintage and sample sales.

IMHO, you cannot stop your wardrobe like you can't stop the flow of life and time.

Thanks for your thoughts.

I think a big reason I feel in a rut is that a lot of the current styles in the shops just don't suit me. I'm a fan of dresses, but the loose / tiered / gathered / printed dresses really don't suit me (I'm tall and athletic-looking, flat-chested and broad shouldered - good arms and legs though and those styles just hide my good bits and make me look a bit Amish).

Half of my local High Street has shut down and buying online is such a faff. I return about two-thirds of what I buy!

Might book the stylist - could use some fresh ideas.

Brora. I bought some new jumpers and my 15 yr old DD is complimenting me on my clothes. I’m like this 🤔

Good luck with the stylist - I booked one and although I did buy some stuff it wasn't the epiphany I'd hoped for. I guess she wasn't going to magic up stuff that wasn't on the rails, to be fair.
I find I look in the shop windows, fashion magazines and online clothes retailers lookbooks, and ... 99% of it is designed to make anyone over 30 look ridiculous and frumpy.
I actually have money to spend but all the clothes seem, well, horrible, frumpy and unflattering!

I recommend the stylists in Peter Jones (aka John Lewis) in Sloane Square - they are amazing when I had a total wardrobe malfunction & needed emergency clothes whilst accompanied by a newborn! I arrived in tears & left feeling fantastic.

@hippospot, do you not have a stylish chum, doesn't have to be a close one, that you could bribe with lunch on you and a jolly shopping trip one day? Flatter the person shamelessly and ask them to shop with you, critically. Honestly, they will be so f*cking flattered to be asked to be honest, they'd accompany you to the North Pole. And because you're buddies, you will trust them more than a paid stylist to point out that although you look awesome in x, there's nowhere to wear that outfit in Tobermory. (Random location, before anyone tries to tell me Tobermory is really fashion forward... think CBeebies).

You might not need as much new stuff as you think. Sometimes one or two judicious buys - shoes or trousers in a different shape - can shake up your wardrobe and, just as important, change how you feel about it. Right now I'm after a casual jacket that can breathe new life into some of my smarter clothes that just don't get worn any more. I'm convinced it's out there somewhere.

If you're bored with something that's good quality and still fits - and if you've got space - then it can be worth putting it away rather than getting rid. Fashion cycles are so much shorter these days and you may well feel differently about it in a few years, and, if you do, I can guarantee you won't be able to buy the same quality again. I could kick myself when I think of some of the things I've let go, convinced I'd never wear again.

I feel your pain about internet shopping. Our high street is trashed and I get little fun from buying online, plus it's so tempting to settle for something that's not quite right because I can't face another trip to the Hermes drop off

Thank you all

@Shouldhavebutdidnt do you reckon the Peter Jones stylists would be ok with my £200 budget for 3-4 items (for separates not coats/jackets I must add!)

@XingMing I do have a couple of stylish friends but they don't live close to me. I reckon they might like the challenge of doing some online research for me though!

@hippospot absolutely - I think I ended up spending under £30 on a top. They were more than happy. Just tell them what your budget is at the start. If I could remember the name of the woman who helped me I’d tell you but they were all lovely and I was having a bad day!!

Could you take your coat to a tailor to change its shape somewhat?

Have a clothes swapmeet? (Appreciate this is hard as people are different sizes and have different tastes.) Or buy a garment from a vintage/charity shop.

@hippospot I don't think I spent that much at my JL stylist appointment - a bit less iirc - I was actually disappointed she didn't bring me more expensive stuff, but don't know if that was because of my shopping criteria or what..